The royal carriage cut through the morning mist like a black and gold arrow, wheels grinding along cobbled stones. Ancient oaks pressed close on both sides, their canopy filtering early sunlight into dancing patterns across the forest floor.
Inside, Alex tried to ignore the suffocating luxury. Silk cushions, gold inlay, crystal windows that probably cost more than most families saw in a lifetime. Everything designed to remind passengers exactly how much power the Crown wielded.
'Standard display of wealth and authority. They want us to feel indebted before we even arrive.'
Sarah sat across from him, still looking fragile. Her new clothes—a deep blue traveling dress that screamed "minor nobility"—hung awkwardly on her frame. Her parents rode in their own carriage behind them, following with a separate escort.
'Separation of assets from their emotional anchors. Standard procedure to ensure compliance.'
Between them sat Lord Corwin Erick, a thin man with nervous eyes who'd introduced himself as a "royal liaison for awakened affairs."
'Glorified handler with a fancy title.'
"Lord Erick," Sarah asked quietly, hands twisted in her lap, "have you met the king before?"
Erick's smile flickered. "His Majesty is... remarkable. Sharp as a blade. Has this uncanny ability to see right through people, gets to the heart of what makes them tick." His tone brightened. "Though I suspect today's meeting will be more about opportunities than formal assessment. SS-rank awakened of your caliber... His Majesty will likely extend personal invitations to join the King's Guard."
'Recruitment pitch disguised as casual conversation. They've already decided our fate.'
Sarah's eyes widened. "The King's Guard? What does that involve?"
"Quite the honor, really," Erick continued, warming to his subject. "Elite positions. The royal stipends alone would make most noble houses green with envy. Access to the finest magical instruction in the kingdom, private quarters in the palace district..." He gestured expansively. "Young Lord Kael already attends the Royal Academy, so he understands the quality of education available. For someone from your background, Miss Millbrook, it would represent an elevation beyond anything most people could dream of."
'Make it sound like a gift instead of conscription. Classic manipulation technique. The girl's buying every word.'
Alex caught the subtle manipulation threading through Erick's words. Make it sound like an honor, a gift, a dream come true. Don't mention that "joining" the King's Guard would mean your life was no longer your own.
'A perceptive king who wants to personally recruit the two awakened who broke all the rules. Perfect.'
Through the crystal window, Alex watched the Royal Guard maintaining formation around their carriage. Captain Aldric rode point, his black destrier moving with military precision. Twelve guards total—enough to handle most threats on the kingdom's well-patrolled trade roads.
His enhanced vision kicked in as he studied the escort:
[Van Karsten]
[Rank: B]
[Primary Ability: Earth Manipulation]
[Gina Brightward]
[Rank: B]
[Primary Ability: Light Barriers]
[Devon Ironclad]
[Rank: A]
[Primary Ability: Physical Enhancement]
'Professional, competent, but following predictable protocols. Standard formation weaknesses at the rear flanks and elevated positions.'
Sarah's voice interrupted his analysis. "Lord Erick, what happens during a royal assessment? What should I expect?"
"Nothing too intimidating," Erick replied, though his tone suggested otherwise. "His Majesty simply likes to understand the full scope of new abilities. Get a feel for what people are capable of. But honestly, I suspect this is more recruitment meeting than formal evaluation." His eyes gleamed. "The King's Guard is always seeking exceptional talent."
'Understanding the full scope means testing our limits. Recruitment means permanent acquisition.'
"And what would that mean?" Alex asked, though he suspected he knew where this was heading. "The King's Guard?"
"Elite service. Generous royal stipends, advanced ability training with the best instructors money can buy, access to the kingdom's most closely guarded secrets..." Erick leaned forward conspiratorially. "Miss Millbrook, your time manipulation abilities would be invaluable to His Majesty's personal security detail. And Lord Kael, with your fire manipulation skills and Royal Academy background, you'd integrate seamlessly into their ranks."
'Translation: You'll be valuable tools in the Crown's arsenal. Sarah would become the ultimate bodyguard, I'd become a weapon specialist.'
"I see," Alex said carefully. "And I suppose this would be... mandatory?"
Erick's smile never wavered, but something cold flickered behind his eyes. "SS-rank abilities require proper guidance and oversight. But the King's Guard offers far more than the Academy's standard curriculum could provide." His voice took on the practiced rhythm of a seasoned recruiter. "Personal ability trainers drawn from the realm's greatest masters, access to the royal armory's most advanced equipment, luxury accommodations in the palace compound..." He paused meaningfully. "And of course, the tremendous honor of serving the Crown directly. Think of it as the ultimate educational opportunity."
'There it is. The velvet glove over the iron fist. Refuse and face the consequences of being too dangerous to leave free.'
The carriage hit a rough patch, bouncing them against the silk cushions. Through the window, Alex noticed they were climbing now, the forest growing denser as they wound through foothills leading to the capital valley.
'Perfect ambush terrain. If someone wanted to intercept high-value targets, this would be the ideal location.'
******
High above on the clifftop, hidden among ancient pines, three figures watched the royal convoy wind along the road below.
"You sure it's them?" The first voice was rough, impatient.
"Black and gold carriage, royal crest, full military escort." The second figure lowered a spyglass. "SS-rank or not, they just awakened days ago. Level One at best. Novice Essence control. Easy targets once we separate them from their protection."
"What about the royal escort?"
A smirk played across scarred features. "I've got something special planned for that problem."
A third voice cut through their confidence—calm, commanding, with absolute authority:
"We stick to the plan. Draw their attention with the distraction. Once the guard breaks formation to engage, I open the gate. One quick pulse, in and out, clean extraction."
A hooded figure stepped forward from deeper shadows. Spatial sigils glowed faintly beneath their gloves, reality warping around their fingers like heat shimmer.
"What about our employer?" the scarred figure asked. "They're paying enough gold to buy a small army. What does some anonymous noble want with fresh SS-ranks anyway?"
"Not our concern," the commanding voice replied coldly. "We deliver the targets to the specified location. What happens after that is strictly between them and our benefactor."
The scarred figure grinned, revealing teeth filed to sharp points. "And the royal liaison?"
"Acceptable losses. We make it look like a bandit raid—sloppy, desperate, chaotic. By the time they sort through the misdirection, we'll be long gone with our payment. Our employer values discretion above everything."
Below, the convoy continued its steady progress, unaware of the predators circling overhead.
********
Inside the carriage, Alex felt the hair on his neck stand up. His instincts, honed by both lives, screamed warnings he couldn't identify.
[System Alert: Ambient Essence Fluctuation Detected]
[Warning: Hostile Intent in Proximity]
[Recommend: Increased Awareness]
'Something's wrong. The forest feels different here.'
"Something wrong, Lord Kael?" Erick asked, noticing Alex's tension.
"The road feels different up here," Alex said carefully. "More isolated than I expected."
Erick waved dismissively. "These hills have been secure for decades. Nothing more dangerous than the occasional wolf pack, and they know better than to approach large groups like ours."
'Typical bureaucrat. No combat instincts, completely oblivious to danger.'
Sarah caught Alex's eye, and he saw his unease reflected there. Her time manipulation might be untrained, but her survival instincts were sharp.
'At least the girl has some awareness. That's useful.'
"How much further to the capital?" she asked.
"Perhaps three hours at this pace," Erick replied. "We should reach the valley overlook by mid-afternoon, then it's a straight descent into—"
The world exploded.
The road ahead erupted in earth and splintered stone. Ancient trees groaned and toppled, massive trunks crashing across the path in thunderous roars. The lead horses reared in terror, nearly throwing Captain Aldric from his saddle.
'Ambush. Predictable timing, predictable location.'
"Ambush!" Aldric's voice cut through the chaos like a blade. "Defensive positions! Protect the carriage!"
From the forest burst a ragtag group of attackers—maybe fifteen strong, their abilities crackling with desperate energy. A woman with lightning dancing around her fists. A man whose hands burned with sickly green fire. Another who seemed to bend shadows around himself like living armor.
'C and D rank abilities. Flashy but unrefined. Too willing to die against superior opposition. This is a distraction.'
The Royal Guard responded with professional efficiency, forming a protective circle as they engaged the attackers. Steel rang against conjured barriers, fire met ice in brilliant flashes, and the forest filled with sounds of brutal combat.
Inside the carriage, Sarah pressed against the window in terror. "What's happening? Are we under attack?"
"Stay down and away from the windows," Alex ordered, his enhanced vision tracking the battle outside.
'The attackers are too coordinated, too willing to throw themselves against obviously superior opposition. Something else is coming.'
[System Alert: Spatial Essence Disturbance Detected]
[WARNING: Dimensional Anomaly Manifesting]
[Threat Level: EXTREME]
'There it is. Spatial manipulation. Professional extraction team.'
Alex's blood turned to ice. "Everyone out of the carriage now!"
"What? But Lord Kael, the guards have everything under control—" Erick's protest cut off as the air beside the carriage began to shimmer.
Time seemed to slow. Reality warped like looking through disturbed water, and a crack appeared in the very fabric of space—silent, precise, and utterly wrong.
Sarah's eyes went wide with terror as she felt something fundamental shift around them. "What is that?"
Alex grabbed her arm, hauling her toward the carriage door. "Move now! Don't think, just move!"
'Too late. The extraction is already in progress.'
The spatial tear widened with a sound like the world tearing apart, and Alex felt irresistible force dragging them toward impossible darkness.
[Spatial Gate Detected]
[System Alert: Essence Flow Disruption Detected]
[WARNING: Dimensional Transfer in Progress]
[Emergency Protocols Activating]
"No!" Alex fought against the pull, his hand finding the door handle just as everything went blindingly white.
'Whoever planned this knew exactly what they were doing. Professional operation, significant resources, inside information. Someone wants us specifically.'
********
Captain Aldric drove his blade through the shadow wielder's conjured armor, the man's scream cutting through the battle noise. Around him, his guards were dismantling the attackers with ruthless efficiency.
'Too easy. These weren't real bandits—they fought like men with nothing left to lose, throwing themselves into certain death with the desperate energy of the doomed.'
A chill ran down his spine as understanding struck. "It's a diversion! The carriage—"
He turned just in time to see reality bend around the royal convoy. The black and gold carriage flickered like a mirage, its outline warping as space itself seemed to fold inward.
"Form up! Protect the—"
But it was too late.
With a sound like thunder played in reverse, the carriage simply... wasn't there anymore. Where moments before had sat the pride of the royal fleet, now only empty road remained, marked by strange burn patterns scorched into the cobblestones.
The remaining attackers fled into the forest, their job complete.
Captain Aldric stared at the empty space, his mind struggling to process what he'd witnessed. In thirty years of service, he'd never seen spatial manipulation of this precision and power. This wasn't some desperate bandit raid.
This was a professional operation.
"Captain!" One of his guards approached, blood running from a gash on his forehead. "Should we pursue the survivors?"
Aldric looked at the scorch marks on the road, then at the forest where their enemies had vanished. Somewhere in the distance, a raven cawed once and fell silent.
"No," he said, his voice hollow with complete failure. "Send word to the capital immediately. Use the emergency channels. Tell them..." He paused, the words tasting like ash. "Tell them the assets have been compromised."
In the sudden silence of the forest, the only sound was wind through the trees, carrying with it the faint echo of something that might have been laughter.